


And Baby Makes Six

by softjoycebyers



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Baby Fic, F/M, Family Feels, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-05-10 05:19:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14730701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softjoycebyers/pseuds/softjoycebyers
Summary: For your Jopper baby feels.





	And Baby Makes Six

**Author's Note:**

> This was already posted on tumblr, and I'm sorry I kind of forgot to post it here.  
> Prequel to Of Mothers and Daughters. Please enjoy, and as always all mistakes are mine!

Joyce was turning over in bed, seeking the warmth of the body that usually laid next to her but was met with cold sheets instead.

For a moment, Joyce panics, already having forgotten what cold sheets felt like. 

She sits up in bed, “Hopper?” she calls to the empty room, voice hoarse from sleep, and her eyes not yet adjusted to the dark.

When she doesn’t get an immediate response the pressure builds in her chest, but after a beat and before the panic can really set in, she catches sight of the white lace bassinet sitting in the corner of the room by the window sill, and she instantly knows where Hopper is.

With that thought in mind, Joyce gets out of bed, slips into her robe and goes in her search of her husband.

She checks on the older kids first–a habit she has yet to grow out of and probably never will until they’re all out of the house–and then heads in the direction of the nursery across the hall from her own.

“Hop?” Joyce whispers as she leans against the partially closed door, trying to listen for any movement inside. When she doesn’t hear a response, she opens the door wider and sees that Hopper is fast asleep on the floor next to the crib, his head is leaning against the side of the guard rail and one of his fingers is caught in a tiny palm.

She almost wished she had a camera with her to capture the moment, but the mental image would last her a lifetime. Hopper would never admit it but he’s completely wrapped around this little girls’ finger, and he always denied it when Joyce brought it up in regards to Jane as well but she knew better.

She walks over to the crib and peers at the slumbering baby inside. Though it’s been nearly three months since they’ve had her home, Joyce is in awe of the little thing her and Hopper created. She still finds it hard to believe sometimes that this is her life now–one where everyone happy and safe, in a new home, and with a new baby. Even as she runs a gentle hand over smooth tufts of blonde hair that remind of her Jonathan and feeling the tangible evidence of her child, it’s still a bit surreal.

Joyce tucks the child back under the small blanket, who like Will, always manages to kick them off in her sleep, and then looks down at her husband who hasn’t stirred the whole time she’s been there, joining him on the floor.

“Hopper,” Joyce croons, gliding her hand over the hair that has fallen onto his forehead. And when he didn’t move, she tries again, this time caressing his face, “Hop.”

Finally, the cop beings to stir, his eyes fluttering open.

“Hi,” she smiles.

“Hi,” he says as his eyes slowly come to focus on her face.

“What are you doing?” she asks rhetorically, pouting, “I missed you in bed.”

Hopper grunts in an effort to gain more alertness, “I couldn’t sleep.”

He adjusts his position on the floor, now sitting with his back against the crib.

“I didn’t want to wake you.”

“So you came here?” She motions with her head to their general surroundings.

Hopper shrugs, and picks at an invisible loose string in his pant leg.

“I was worried,” he concedes.

“She’s fine, Hop,” Joyces muses.

“I know,” he mumbles to the floor. “But still.”

Joyce scratches her nails softly through his scalp again, and then leans up to kiss his stubbled cheek.

“You’re a good daddy. I understand.”

They were in the middle of sleep training, wanting the baby to get used to sleeping in her own room, and so far they were doing well, she was almost sleeping through the night on her own and Joyce was grateful for the few extra hours she got of uninterrupted sleep before she had to get up and feed her.

Hopper however, saw it as a necessary evil. He wasn’t sure he was comfortable with the baby being so far away soon, even if it was just across the hall and the doctor had said she would be fine. While he understood why consistency and routine were important he still didn’t like it–and maybe there was something to it when Joyce said he was wrapped to tight but he wasn’t about to admit that to her out loud.

“Softie,” Joyce chides playfully as she bumps his shoulder and snuggles up against his chest.

Hopper wraps his arms around her waist, bringing her in tighter, dropping his head into the crook of her neck.

“Maybe so,” his words are muffled against her. “But I didn’t want her to wake you if she woke up.”

Joyce hums skeptically, “and has she?”

“Huh?”

“Woken up.”

“No…” Hopper lets the word hang.

“You’re so soft,” Joyce chuckles lowly.

He pinches her side lightly, making her laugh some more, “keep that to yourself will you? I have a reputation to uphold at the station.”

Joyce leans her head back on his chest and side-eyes him–his ears burning red.

“I think that reputation was shot long ago, husband,” she nods, “remember when Jane made you take care of that tamagotti-thingy all day?”

“ –gotchi,” he laughingly corrects.

“Whatever,” Joyce smirks, ready to succumb to sleep once again.

“Anyway,” Hopper groans. “Don’t remind me, I still don’t know how that damn thing died, I did everything it asked, and she still didn’t talk to me for like a week.”

Joyce sighs, her point having already been proven, “I rest my case.”

Hopper rests his head against hers, and she was almost back to sleep when he says, “we make cute kids, Joy.”

He nods his head to the baby who’s blissfully unaware that her parents are even there watching her sleep.

Joyce opened her eyes and squints at her baby’s tiny features illuminated in the light of the moon. She holds her breath as the baby twitches in her sleep, arms raised above her head, she flexes her fingers and yawns, her mouth settling in an O but remains otherwise unbothered.

Joyce has to stop herself from audibly gasping, it’s been a long time since she’s had a baby this small but she still remembers being completely fascinated by anything Jonathan or Will did at this stage, and she’d often sacrifice her sleep to study them. Though she likes to think she’s better at the discipline thing this time around, Joyce know she’d gladly stay up to memorize every detail.

“Yeah we do,” Joyce smiles settling back into his chest and finally giving in to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously, I took major creative license with the Tamagotchi mention since it wasn't invented until 1997 (I did my research haha) but it just SEEMED like something Hopper would do for Jane even if he was a crab about it. I couldn't find an 80s equivalent for it.
> 
> Drop me a line, did you like it? Blink once for yes, twice for no.


End file.
